What happened
At 07:43 local time, a four-engine airplane departed from Runway 12 at Bogotá-El Dorado Airport. The flight was scheduled to travel to Willemstad, Curaçao, with planned stops in San Andres Island, Barranquilla, and Cartagena. On board the aircraft were 36 passengers and six crew members.
Shortly after departure, air traffic control directed the crew to switch communication frequencies. Approximately three minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was in its climb phase, it struck the slope of Mt El Cable, located roughly 12 km southeast of the airport. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate, resulting in 42 fatalities.
Findings
Investigators determined that poor visibility in the eastern hills of Bogotá was a decisive factor in the accident. While the initial takeoff and climb appeared normal, the aircraft failed to reach its necessary altitude and did not begin the required turn toward the Techo radio beacon according to standard procedures. The crew only attempted a right turn seconds before the collision, by which point the crash was unavoidable.
Crucial information regarding the flight's final moments was unavailable due to the loss of data from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. While investigators noted that the pilot was highly skilled and demonstrated excellent aircraft control, they could not rule out a procedural error during takeoff or an unidentified contributing factor.